Free Golf

We all know that once the leaves are on the ground that fall is around the corner. With the coming of fall, the golf season winds down and golf deals emerge. Golf courses in the Columbia valley will probably stay open for a few weeks more but as far as Calgary is concerned, most courses will close before the third week of October.

New in Kimberly are premier accomodations on Northstar Mountain Village offering ski-in/ski-out access, hot tubs, fireplaces, fitness room and fully equipped kitchens. Now if you call and make an early booking, you will receive 2 rounds of golf free at Bootleg Gap. Just call 1-800-665-1801 and quote ‘Kimberly Fall Special’. Don’t try to book online to get your free golf because this is not available for everyone. Hurry because this offer is only limited to the first 30 bookings.

Want to stay closer to Fairmont and Radium Springs? No problem. With High Country Properties, you can now stay for 3 nights and only pay for 2. Call the same number above and quote ‘Pay for 2 Stay for 3 Special’. Offer is good until October 31, 2008.

There’s a lot of golf left in this season. I hope you will take advantage of the late summer/ fall specials that I find for you.

Save 50% off in Radium Springs

Our friends are back from their Parksville and Qualicum Beach stay and they had a great time. Every year they head out and have a grand old time doing beach activities and shopping for real estate. They said it is a buyer’s market out there with lots to choose from. An average single family home in Parksville sells for $350,000 but there are a lot of condos and beach cottages available for the part time vacationer.

I stumbled upon a coupon for 50% off at Prestige Inn and Resort in B.C. If you are thinking about heading out to Radium Springs, you might want to get this coupon and stay at the Prestige Inn, located about 2 blocks from the Radium Springs golf course. It sits on the corner where you turn off the highway and head south to Fairmont. I did an early blog about the Italian restaurant in the Prestige Inn, recommending the great greek salad there. The hotel is well situated with several golf courses nearby. Copper Point, Eagle Ranch and Radium Springs golf courses to name a few.

To get the coupon, visit WiseResearch and fill out a survey that will take 15-20 minutes of your time. It is worth it because you get a 50% coupon off your next stay at Prestige Inn. If you don’t plan to stay there then get a voucher for Caribbean travel or Discover Islands.

N, S, E, W? Stay and Play

The roads are going to get busy again with the long weekend approaching. We would have flown to somewhere but to keep costs down, we will probably drive and pick up a stay and play package. From Calgary, there are four directions we can travel to. We can drive west towards Kananaskis, Banff, Fairmont, Golden and the Okanagan. Towards the east, we can drive to Strathmore, Speargrass or all the way to Saskatchewan where I hear, has a lot of golf waiting to be played. To the north, there is Sylvan Lake, Lacombe and Edmonton area. Finally to the south, we have Okotoks, High River, Lethbridge and Montana.

We have friends that are planning a trip to Kalispell where there is a golf resort and cooler mountain air waiting for them. Unless you want a change of scenery, I think I would like a lesser drive and more time to stay and play. Before committing to a direction, I would advise you to check out the places to play first.

Staying in Kananaskis is an awesome experience with mountains all around you but the golf isn’t cheap and the only tee times available are early morning (eg. 6am) or twilight (eg. 6pm). Fairmont and Radium is busy this time of year but golf is always incredible there, especially up at Greywolf. Be prepared to pay $80 to $150 per round at the more popular courses such as Copper Point, Eagle Ranch, Greywolf and Radium Springs. 

I’m leaning towards driving north and finding a good course at reasonable rates. Stay tuned for more analysis.

Bighorn Meadows for 50% off

Alot of you seem to like saving 50% off in Parksville. But if you’re like me, it’s hard to fork out $800 to fly out to Vancouver for the summer. What will it be? Airfare or car trip? If you decide it is going to be a car trip then let me save you 50% off rental rates at the Bighorn Meadows in Radium Hot Springs, BC. It is the same place I stayed at, back in May when I went out with two other guys on an all guy golfing weekend. 

The Bighorn Meadows Resort sits on the 9th fairway of the Radium Springs Golf Course. It actually backs onto a man made lake that separates the fairway and a back patio where the barbeque is set up. When twilight sets in, bighorn sheep can be seen grazing by the watering hole. 

It’s a pretty nice resort to stay at but it lacks any restaurant facility. The closest eatery is at the clubhouse which is situated at the Radium Springs Golf Course. The prices are reasonable and the service is prompt. When it’s nice out, have dinner on the patio and watch the sun set. If you want something different, head out to the highway. There you will find a nice Italian restaurant in the Prestige Inn. I recommend having the Greek Salad and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

To get 50% off the rental rates, call 1-877-344-2323 and book a tour and stay for 2 to 3 nights. Again, if you don’t plan to buy ownership, stand firm when presented with an offer.

Play Unlimited Golf + Lunch for $25

If you don’t mind the heat, you can play unlimited golf and get free lunch at Painted Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona for $25. They call it Monday Madness because you can play the course for $19 if you tee off before noon. Personally, that’s too hot for my liking.

And talking about hot, I heard that there was a fire at the Panorama Village near Greywolf. If you are looking for stay and play packages in the BC Rockies, check out the Greywolf website. In July, you can stay and play for $139 per person per night. That’s pretty good considering that green fees is $149 regular and $134 after 12:30pm. The accomodations are great and the golf course is spectacular with an over the cliff, par 3 signature hole. 

Or for a little less money, you can stay at Bighorn Meadows and play at Copper Point. The midweek special for a couple includes 2 nights accomodations and 1 round of golf for as little as $102 per person per stay. The Bighorn Meadows resort is situated right on the Radium Springs Golf Course, just alongside hole # 9. 

To get to Fairmont, Radium or Panorama, fly into YYC (Calgary) and rent a car. Drive west on highway 1 towards Lake Louise then head south on highway 93. From Calgary, the drive is about 3 hours.